Lubricator heater



. J. SCHLACKS.

LUBRICATOR HEATER.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAR. 25, 1920.

Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

caries,

WILLIAM J. SGHLACKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LUBBIGATOR HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

Application filed March 25, 1920. Serial No. 368,597.

To all to ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVrLLIAM J. SoHLAoKs, a citizen of the United Eitates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricator Heaters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to locomotive lubricators and has for its object to provide an improved means whereby, by the use of a small amount of steam from the boiler of the locomotive, the oil in the lubricator may be kept within a certain range of temperature, regardless of varying climatic conditions, such as the variations from winter to summer. To the above ends, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The construction and operation of the locomotive lubricator are well known. It is, therefore, suflicient to recite that such lubricators comprise a suitable oil reservoir, pumps therefor driven from the moving part of the locomotive, and oil delivery connections from the pump of the lubricator to the steam pipes or steam chests for the delivery of oil thereto in the desired regulated quantities. The flow of oil in such lubricators is greatly interferred with by low temperatures of the oil, and hence, in cold weather, means must be provided for keeping the oil at proper temperature for efiicient delivery. The preferred manner of carrying out my invention is to provide the oil reservoir of the lubricator with a steam chamber formed in the bottom thereof, to extend a steam supply pipe from the fountain head of the boiler, and to extend a steam exhaust pipe from the lubricator steam chamber, either into the exhaust channel from the cylinders of the locomotive, or into the exhaust pipe of the air pump which, itself, leads to the exhaust channel from the cylinders.

The steam pipes that lead to and'from the steam chamber of the lubricator are of small diameter.

' With this arrangement, when the engine is standing still, and, of course, is not exhausting from its cylinders, there is not as great radiation of heat from the lubricator as when the engine is running. When the engine is standing still, there is practically no pressure resistance to discharge through the exhaust pipe from the steam chamber of the lubricator, and as there is then a free discharge of steam from said lubricator steam chamber, and as the supply of steam through the small pipe leading thereto is restricted, the steam pressure in such lubrieating chamber will be very low, towit, about one or two pounds and the temperature of the steam in the said chamber will then be about 220 degrees, which is ideal in that it will maintain the oil temperature in the reservoir at practically the ideal temperature for delivery under the pumping action. lVhen, however, the engine is running and the radiation of heat from the lubricator is greater than when standing still, the exhaust from the cylinders will produce a back pressure tending to resist free discharge of steam from the exhaust pipe that leads from the lubricator steam chamber, and this back pressure will cause increased steam pressure in the steam chamber of the lubricator, so that such pressure,

depending somewhat on the speed of the locomotive, will be raised as high as twenty five or thirty pounds, with a resulting rise in temperature of the steam in the said lubricator steam chamber to about 260 degrees, thus automatically producing a higher temperature of the oil heating medium when the increased radiation demands an increased temperature of the heating medium. li l oreovcr, this is automatically accomplished by the functions of the locomotive itself.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. Referring to the drawings:

1 is a view in side elevation showing a locomotive partly in diagram and showing a lubricator with heating device applied thereto, in accordance with my invention;

Fi 2 is a front elevation of the lubricator with some parts sectioned and some parts broken away; and

Fig. 3 shows the lubricator in side elevation with some parts broken away and with some parts sectioned on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

'1. 1e locomotive is indicated, as an entirety, by the character A. The lubricator may be of any suitable type and may, for example,

be of the general character disclosed and claimed in the McCana Patent No. 822,684, of date, June 5, 1916, entitler lmbri'cator pump for locomotive engines. 7

or the parts of the lubricator, the numeral l indicates the oil reservoir and the numeral 5 the pump actuating arm shown as connected to one of the cross heads of the locomotive by a link 6.

The lubricator may be located in any suitable place on the locomotive, but, as shown, it is supported from one of the cylinder castings of the engine by a racket T, and its pump mechanism is provided with an oil delivery pipe 8 that leads to the steam pipe B, and delivers the oil to the steam so that it will be carried with the steam to all parts to be lubricated.

In accordance with the preferred form of the invention, the oil reservoir 4 is provided in its bottom with a steam chamber 9; a small steam delivery pipe 10 leads from the fountain head of the boiler within the engine cab and into the steam chamber 9; and a steam exhaust pipe 11 leads from said chamber 9, as shown, to the exhaust channel of the cylinders.

lVith the above described arrangement. the operation will be as already described and the oil in the lubricator will be kept at the proper temperature, regardless of changing atmospheric temperatures and regardless of whether the locomotive is standing still or running. 1

This improved heating device, as is evident, adds very little to the cost of the lubricator system and has no parts that can possibly get out of order or that require any special provision in the locomotive for their application.

VJ hat I claim is:

1. The combination with a locomotive, o'l. a lubricator therefor comprising an oil reservoir having a steam chamber for heating the same, a steam delivery conduit connecting said chamber to the boiler of the locomotive, a steam discharge conduit leading from the steam chamber of said lubricator, and so arranged that the exhaust from the locomotive will vary the discharge of steam from the steam chamber of said lubricator, and the temperature of the steam therein.

2. The combination with a locomotive, ot a lubricator comprising an oil reservoir having a steam chamber for heating the same, a steam pipe leading from the locomotive boiler to said steam chamber, and a steam discharge conduit leading from the steam chamber of said lubrioator to'the exhaust channel of the locomotive.

8. A locomotive lubricator comprising an oil reservoir and a steam chamber for heating the same, means for conducting live steam to said chamber, and means leading from said chamber to the exhaust passage of the locomotive whereby the discharge of steam from said steam chamber will the varied according to whether the locomotive is standing still or running.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. SOHLAGKS.

lVitnesses:

OLIVER H. NEAL, ARTHUR H. l/VIEDMAN. 

